The Reborn
by MasterMartin
Summary: Amy Rose dies and wakes up a mechanical monstrosity at the hands of the Reborn, a radical group determined to bring down the Government and give those who die under their rule a second chance. As she struggles with her new form, she must battle a hostile Private Eye and his assistant, who may know more than she lets on. Contains gore, mechanical restoration and sharp carrots.
1. Chapter 1: Prelude

_"Darkness...that's all that left at the end, isn't it? Pure, corrupting darkness."_

A voice pierced the darkness.

A flood of conscience came back to me, along with a huge dose of pain. My eyes adjusted to the light level around me and around me was chaos. All around me position were fallen support beams and chunks of debrie, some on fire and some slowly crumbling before my eyes. The light levels were low, dotted only by the flickering fires and half-broken lights that swung overhead on half-snapped wires that finally game up and brung the light to earth. I looked down at my body and discovered to my horror that I had been caught under one of the support beams with a fire dangerously close to my face. My light blue shirt was slowly stained by a crimson red combined with smatters of oil and dust and my jeans were torn at the thighs. The pain running through my body seemed to indicate that most of my organs had been crushed, as had my nose judging from the weird sensation from my nasal area and the iron-tasting liquid flowing across my lips. Luckily, my vision did not seem to be impaired, as everything I could see could be seen clearly.

_"At the start, at the end...hell, even during the middle. It's just DARKNESS! Darkness...the only thing that's certain, is it not?"_

The voice rang out through the darkness again, before dissapaiting to leave only the heave of the steel beams and the odd crackle of the fire. I attempted to move my arm to get the beam off of me so I could attempt to crawl to safety. My arm did not move and felt totally numb, as did my other arm, and my legs. Studying the damage closer, I gulped in fear and slowly inched my eyes towards my shoulders and I screamed in shock and new-found pain. On either side  
were just shattered stumps with mangled muscle and expose cartidlge. My legs were no better, having been seemingly crushed by another part of rebar. I was limbless, pained, dying and very scared.

Who...who could do this?! I attempted to yell out, but I was too busy wailing in pain to do so. I tried again, what happened here?!

_"Imagine, if you will..." _the voice called out again,_ "That you are the friend of a rich woman. A woman who dumped her boyfriend for the dumbest reason possible. That boyfriend was insane enough to bomb the supermarket where he THOUGHT she was. But she wasn't. All that was there was you, the lowly worker. Doin' the night shift as standard. Then there's an explosion and blackness. You wake up with no limbs and severe adomibal bleeding. You are alone, _  
_bleeding to death, far from home and very scared..."_

I used my last ounce of strength to look towards the sound of the voice. Various tears, blood streaks and oil droplets were flowing down my face, I was wracked with sobs and I could feel the last of my life force ooze away. In the distance, lit only by the steadily increasing fires, was a person. His build was rather bulky and shadowed by the light ratio, but I could indeed see that his quills were spiky and overly messy. He slowly and steadily began to hobble  
towards me, arms spread in sophistication and giving off an almost warm feeling within me...well, at least as much as I could feel with half my nerves shattered.

_"And just as you think it can't get any worse, you look up..."_

He stopped just short of my form. I tried to raise what little arm I had left to plead for help, but nothing happened. He bowed down towards me, to see my face, and I saw his in return. His fur was brown and singed from the heat, his eyes were a deep grey while his glasses were cracked with small shimmers in the light. He stared straight at me, his face twisted into one of emptiness.

_"...And see the face of the the Devil himself..."_ he chuckled a bit, his face spreading into an unsettling smile, _"Hello, you lucky sod."_

It was at that point that the pain became too much to bear. I slowly began to fade and my eyelids became heavier and heavier. Soon, they became too heavy to sustain and my eyes shut firmly. All sounds faded, all feelings stopped, all breathing and crying silenced. I had reached the end, only to be met by a lifeless, silent void. And, just as I had gained it, I lost conscience again, seemingly for good.

But then there was a whirring sound. A beeping sound. Sounds of a pump. I could feel what seemed like cold plates attached to my limbs and what remained of my nose, but I felt cold in my chest and my heart would not beat. Yet I still...felt alive. HOW? Suddenly, another sound came into view; a crackling sound rather like electricity. And then a voice, male and meek.

"Uh, Miss? You ARE aware that applying electricity to the heart like this is only used to stop irregular and possibly damaging problems with the heart itself, right? It can't be used to actually start it again."

A second voice spoke up, this one female and horrifyingly mechanical in nature, "Look at my form, Private. We do the impossible on a daily basis. Now start it up."

"...Yes, Miss," the first voice spoke up again, "Please, insert your earplugs."

It is hard to describe the event that happened next. All I could feel was a large amount of...heat and energy, I guess. It all formed into my chest and I could feel my heart go crazy inside. Every part of my body began to warm up and feel like they were reshaping slightly. Everything went fuzzy and I could feel as if life was being restored in every way. Then my eyes shot open and I gasped intensely, the oxygen filling my lungs and bringing more life to my form. All in a second or two.

Eventually, everything faded to "normal" and I was left staring at a metallic ceiling. I was breathing heavily, gasping and grunting to get as much oxygen as possible. My limbs felt numb again, but I could feel that they were there. My eyelids felt heavy again, but I managed to keep them open this time. The two voices spoke once more.

"She appears to be hyperventilating..." the first voice said, "But she's stable."

"So, what happened to this one?" the second voice spoke up, "Anything serious?"

"Well, sort of..." the meek one stammered, "W-We found her on the doorstep, seemingly delivered to us by...him. Only note he left was one saying 'Rook', so I guess that was her name. All her limbs were missing, most of her organs were crushed, her nose was ruined. We added robotic replacements for what we can't fix, 'standard stuff' the others tell me. The end result is...uh..."

"Well done, Private," the second voice said. It was strange to hear such a nightmarish voice say something positive in a endearing tone, "You did good."

The Private seemed joyous at this, "Th-thank you, Miss Rebirth. But, uh...you DO know she's gonna have the shock of her new life when she..."

"I know. Let me handle that. But leave the pads. Just in case."

"Yes, Miss Rebirth."

Miss Rebirth? Where had I learned that name from? I had time to ponder this as the Private left for places unknown, his uniform footsteps shuffling into the distance. I groaned somewhat and tried to turn my head to look at why my limbs were so cold. I became shocked at what I saw there. In place of the stumps from last time were mechanical arms, slick and utilitarian in nature, with the odd wire here and there connecting different body parts. My legs felt cold and solid, so I guessed that they were the same. I tried to move my new arms, but no progress was made. They were certainly connected, I could feel the various nerves twitching, but I just couldn't do it.

"I wouldn't try that," Miss Rebirth sighed, "You'll just end up snapping the nerves like guitar strings. Gotta wait for the strength and the training first."

I tried to move my head in the direction of the sound and I quickly screamed in shock. I had very quickly remembered why I knew that name; I was scared of it. And as I stared at the face looking vaguely back at me, I remembered why. Her head was more machine than organic material, with clamps and wires jutting out of everywhere in the most undesirable way. Her fur, what there was of it, was a pale, mottled colour that had once been a bright pink, now reduced  
to it's almost ghostly state. Her skin was also hidden, but what there was of it was raw and a disturbing shade of pink, dulled by flame and tamed by steel. What was left were entirely mechanical; her eyes were totally replaced by receptors with dark red pseudo-pupils that still managed to stretch her normal skin over them, while her entire muzzle was overtaken by a bulky respirator that had cracks in the side to show more inflamed skin. She was almost nightmarish in appearance. I cried out and tried to thrash in reflex, but nothing happened.

"Hey, hey!" Miss Rebirth said, grabbing me by the chest. Already my heart was going into a frenzy, but I calmed down nonetheless, "Thank you. Now, I know what you're thinking. But it's not like that at all. Not what THEY have said we are. We're good people. Just...not as you know them. I mean think about it; you wouldn't be here if it weren't for us."

I nodded, now fully calm. I tried to speak out, but (again) nothing came out.

"Oh, and don't expect anything to be coming out of your mouth for a while. Damn vocal chords were charred to a crisp; can only handle screams. We're working on some new ones you can use, but for the moment...yeah." Miss Rebirth turned to face me and sighed, "Listen, I know that look on your face. I know what the New Government has been spoonfeeding you. That we're evil and we kidnap people off the streets, turning them into robotic minions within our wake. That we're behind everything that happens in this world. All the debt and the wars. But we're not. They've been lying to you, start to finish. And I'm gonna tell you the truth. The real story. It's either that or you stare the ceiling until what's left of your muscle tendons get used to their new limbs. And trust me, that's gonna take a while."

I sighed. At least I could do THAT. I stared back at the ceiling and nodded to give Miss Rebirth the go-ahead. Even though I couldn't see her her, nor was her mouth visible anyway, but I was certain that she was somehow smiling. She made sounds as if pulling up a chair and sitting next to my bed whilst huffing and generally sounding as if she was out of breath.

"Apologies," she wheezed, "My respirator doesn't work like it used to. I'm one of the Old Gen...heh, old. I'm not even outta my twenties. You're the latest, with all the latest tech. I was one of the first they...'converted'. Infact, I WAS the first. This place used to be so different. It was bright...and peaceful. Our glorious leaders weren't bible-thumping weasels that were spoonfed by us on what to do. They used to be...my friends. My friends once ruled this planet with a fleshy fist. Kind and peaceful friends. And I was...well, I was their secretary, frankly. But I was young and stupid back then, so I played along. Had the love of my life. And...well, listen to my tale, young one. And all shall become clear..."

**= = = = = SEVEN YEARS EARLIER = = = = =**  
(Miss Rebirth's POV)

It was July, I remember it was July. It was a time where the sun shone, the birds sung and Nintendo actually made characters that weren't just lazy recolours of annoying characters. I remember I was lying on the grass in this giant meadow, staring at the sky with the calmest demeanor on Earth. The sun shone it's beams on me, warming my exposed stomach to a lovely tanned shade. The only sounds present in the air was the soft chirping of tiny birds and a gentle breeze sweeping the grass, causing it to wave in a frenzy and dance among the waves. Everything was peaceful...

Oh, was I spouting random description again? Apologies.

Anyway, I was indeed lying there, soaking up the sun's rays, when I heard a small shout from over the horizon. I groaned, lacking in energy, before sitting up with a creak and removing my sunglasses to see a woman appear over the hills. It was Blaze, with her purple fur and yellow eyes, clad in her usual pink business jacket and skirt, running towards me shouting my name. I sighed, realizing my sunbathing time was over, and stood up completely to greet her.

"Hey Blaze," I yawned, "What's with the rush?"

"You know what," Blaze huffed, out of breath, "Mr. Shadow wanted to make sure you were at our President's latest speech."

You know, it's weird. When I was still my past self, I had no idea that alternate universes ever existed. I never knew that there were universes where Sonic the Hedgehog wasn't the President of the United Federations. He was mainly some sort of celibate hero, sometimes with lots of gear living in an old airliner and sometimes with only the shoes on his feet to call his own. And sometimes as a comic character with serious writing issues. But at that time, the thought of our "favourite" blue hedgehog being leader of the so-called free world was just something that was ultimately normal to me. But he was still Sonic the Hedgehog and I was still Amy Rose. I loved him with every fibre of my being. If only I knew I was being so...stupid.

But anyway, I quickly regained my energy at this message, jumping up and down and squealing, "Oh! I almost forgot about Sonniku's big speech! We've gotta get going!"

"Relax, Secretary Amy," Blaze said, "The Minister of Transport has prepared a car for you. It'll get you there in no time. After all, Silver's never let us down..." she stopped and suddenly looked haunted and forlorn, "...Amy?"

I looked straight at her, "Yeah?"

"Do you ever get the feeling that things go TOO well for us? That we're a bit...elitist? That we need to look more on the less fortunate?"

Now don't get me wrong, I was just Sonic's lowly secretary at the time. But I was still earning about 2 million rings a year, so I was still a spoiled brat. And I answered that question the only way a spoiled brat could:

"...Nope!"

"Oh, well that's alright then!" Blaze perked up, regaining her calm demeanour, "Well then, can't keep the President waiting!"

Things got a bit blurry after that. My memories skip and jump every now and again, especially in cars and the like. All I really did was rest my head on the window and mindlessly study the other cars and trees flying by. Hell, I don't even remember what colour the car was. I guess cars were just a place where I could relax and forget. I never did the driving, you see. Blaze always did that. She was, at the time, Sonic's second in command. And even though she was  
more...important than myself, she was quite humble and always drove me everywhere. I guess she was taking pity on me or just plain trying to earn my trust. We were good friends back then, don't get me wrong. But I always thought that, behind my back, there was something going on between the two I never got to saw. It enraged me at the time; I loved Sonic and it was my personal quest to ensure that it was I only. The thought of those two together...kinda burned  
me...

[[I could see Miss Rebirth stop cold and shake heavily at this point, her already heavy breathing increasing and causing her to hyperventilate. She reached around to her back and bashed something, whereupon her breathing returned to normal. She cleared her throat and began again.]]

Sorry. I couldn't finish that sentence with that word in it. Had...had a little flashback. Or flashforward, as the case may be. Anyway, my mind remained blank for the remainder of the journey until my minimal thoughts were brought to a stop when the sound of crunching gravel indicated we had arrived. Blaze's hand shook my shoulder.

"Come on. Amy!" she called out, "We'll be late if you pootle about!"

I groaned again and looked groggily up, staring out of the window again. The White House was in the distance on a hill, staring at me with it's non-existant eyes while the sun brightened and glared on my own. I put my sunglasses back on and opened the car, brushing myself off and straightening my head. As Blaze and I began our walk to the podium, I caught a small glimpse of myself in the many mirrors that littered the landscape. Looking back on what I know, I guess I looked almost identical to every other Amy out there. Perhaps the odd outfit change, but I was still just a young, pink, female hedgehog. I do remember that my quills were actually longer than most of the other Amies, it certainly reached down to my back, and that my outfit was slightly different. It was a red tank top with matching skirt, kinda like what you'd expect if you tore a chunk out of the average dress, with exposed stomach and boot-sandals (if that made any sense). Overall, I would probably consider myself to be rather pretty, compared to the other versions like the Archieverse Amy or the Roboverse Amy. I just never figured out why Sonic didn't like me regardless. Guess it doesn't matter now, does it?

Anyway, I managed to pry myself away from the mirror and continued my trek towards the White House's podium place. Soon, I was there. I didn't mingle with the crowd, of course. All of President Sonic's workhorses had special chairs for their places in his speaches. My chair was always at the end, a sort of metallic pink with red cushions. It was actually spectacularly plain, seeing as all the other chairs were almost like thrones in comparison. Infact, for some  
chairs like Blaze's, they WERE thrones. I sighed under my breath and took my place on my chair, as did Blaze and all the others. In front of the stage was a sea of average pedestrians in various ages and genders, all staring at the stage with child-like wonder. It was almost endearing. But even then I knew they were slack-jawed folk, blindly following their leader and his every move. Nevertheless, I grinned and beared it, waving at some of the peds as a small  
group of them actually looked at me. Their faces were half angry and half sneering, as if they were deep in thought trying to find some way to convince themselves that they were better than me. I wasn't exactly liked. I was a lowly assistant, nothing more than a bit of solder in the great chain.

Oh, sorry. Getting off topic. Afterwards, there was a rush of calm and quiet vibes as the President waltzed onto the stage and into his podium. He was almost exactly the same as all other Sonics that I know of. He was blue, he was a hedgehog, he had his special red sneakers. Only real differance was his blue suit and grey eyes. He was very much the fun type, much like his alternates, but had his serious side too; his face at that moment was twisted into one of determination and it was clear that he was not about to screw around. He approached the podium and shuffled his papers, before clearing his throat and beginning.

"Ladies, gentlemen...cameramen," he began, saying his words powerfully and with great inflection, "I thank you for your collective ability to turn up for this important country-wide message. For about seven months, we have been tracking this known terrorist that has plagued our fair Federation, known only to us as 'The Egg'."

I rolled my eyes. A number of things our Eggman was-old, cunning, evil-but a terrorist he was not. All he did before was attack some low key shops and loot some metallic objects from banal places, often from landfills and junkyards where that stuff would just rot anyway. But, that's modern society for you; saying "terrorist" to a certain man-type is like saying "din-dins" to a dog; you WILL get a response and that response is often ugly. This quote from our leader whipped the masses into a temporary frenzy, but Sonic lowered his arms and they calmed. He straightened his tie and continued.

"But, for the first time in weeks, we have intel on his position. The Central Intelligence of the United Federation has managed to pinpoint his posistion as a large warehouse just outside of Fillane Country. I am aware of the fact that this is strictly within Reborn territory, but this opportunity cannot be wasted. For months the madman has run around the country, terrorizing innocent business owners and the like. He must be stopped before he threatens out government! Our way of thinking!"

"Our chilli dogs?" came a voice from the crowd.

"Y-Yeah!" Sonic yelled back, his voice now a bit wilder, "Our precious chilli dogs!" he stopped, clearing his throat again and returning to the more placid voice tone, "Now...as you know, I am a very involving man. President or not, I am a man who loves action and being the cause of it. And I swear that I will be there when we kick down the door on this madman and I will ensure by my every byte of power that he pays for his crimes!"

The masses were quickly whipped up into a frenzy, whooping and cheering and high-fiving each other. Sonic simply smirked and signaled to Blaze, who sat up from her own chair and walked to the podium to take questions. Sonic sighed and retreated back into the White House, where I and most of the others soon followed. Before long, we were back in his office, where he had removed his jacket and was leaning awkwardly on his chair, lazily pawing at a plate with a chilli dog on it.

"I think..." he said in a grinning way, his voice now restored to a more playful tenure, "That went well."

"Wasn't much of a speech," Knuckles said, rubbing his head, "Who wrote it?"

"Tails, obviously. I like getting things done quickly with no filler."

I wasn't really paying attention after this point. I was still staring at the hedgehog with a fluttering heart, my muzzle almost completely red with a blush. He continued regardless and all I heard was a mumbling sound, with a vague hint of words like "terrorist" and "hero" shining through. Can't tell if I didn't want to listen or just poor pacing on my part. I also thought my name was being repeated by his...admittedly heavenly voice. Multiple times as well, each one more  
annoyed than the last. Soon, I felt something hit me in the back and I snapped out of my daze.

"Whoa!" I yelled, flailing about, "What?"

"I said that we're going after the guy soon. Any proposals?"

I looked blank for a second, "I, uh...we could lure him into a false sense of security. I mean, he could think we're on a date..."

"Enough with the DATES!" Sonic yelled suddenly, shooting upwards and out of his chair, "Look, Amy, you have to listen for at least one second, and forget about the dates. This is a serious matter. If this madman continues his actions, we could have a full out WAR on our hands! And you don't want that, do you?"

I shook my head.

"Well then," he sighed, sitting down properly at his desk, "It is settled. All is set. Tomorrow, we find the madman and we bring him to justice. And THEN, just maybe, I'll go on your date. You are all dismissed. Please, I need my rest for the big day tomorrow."

"Yes sir!" I saluted, skipping out of the office with the others following. I closed the door and began to skitter in an excitable way. I mean, Sonic! Sonic the President Hedgehog...thing! On a date with his lowly secretary! I began to fantasize about what could happen on that date. Perhaps he would see my obvious wit and charm that poured out of my every orifice (please, don't take that out of context)? Perhaps he's propose? I'd get to be the First Lady? My mind was awash with different dreams before another stiff arm on my back brought my back to reality. It was the Chancellor of the Ex-checker, Knuckles, as ever clad in his green suit and whitish gloves.

"Amy..." he said, "I've just gotta ask...did you really believe Mr. President when he said he'd take you on that date?"

"Yeah!" I nodded, grinning like a fool, "Why? You jealous or something? Didn't think your pendulum swung that way, get my drift?"

"I get it. And no," Knuckles grabbed my by the shoulders in a gentle way, "Amy...he wouldn't take you on that date if his life depended on it. You don't seem to realize just how much he hates you, after all."

For the record, I did. I just tried really hard to repress it.

"He could scream your death order from the White House roof if the Higher Ups allowed him to. He won't take you on that date. He just doesn't love you."

"B-But..." I stammered, tearing up a bit, before shaking my head and stuttering out a "N-No! He'd never do that! Of course he l-loves me! Just you wait and see! I'll save him and the world and the day and I'll get him to dump that catty thing and-"

"AHEM!" came Blaze's voice as her form came walking back down the corridor, "I'd like to remind you that we're friends. And I'd also like to inform you that I DON'T love that...utter tool. What sort of President would make Chilli Dogs legal tender so he could exploit tax loopholes for free meals? He's an idiot. He's unfit to rule a parade, never mind a country. Do yourself a favour: find a decent man."

And with that, she walked off to the car park for drive back home. Knuckles looked at me, uttering, "She's right, Amy. You can only push a man so far until he gets...desperate. If you won't heed my advice...just watch your back, alright?" and left also.

I pouted slightly, "Those guys don't know nothing. I'll get my precious Sonniku to love me. He loves me, I'll love him right back!"

**= = = = = PAUSE FLASHBACK = = = = =**  
(Rook's POV)

Miss Rebirth sighed and sat back in her chair, "I know what you're thinking, Rook. I was an idiot to believe everything I was told back then. Again, young and stupid. All I know these days is that what happened in that warehouse on that day started the slow and painful transformation into...into what you see before you."

I frowned in a sad way. I had heard all sorts of nightmarish things about this Rebirth woman, but knowing she was a delusional and poor-spirited girl hopelessly in love...it just painted a different picture to what I had seen and heard in the past. You could almost say I felt sorry for her. A sudden alarm blared out and Rebirth looked at the clock in my room.

"Dinner," she said, in an almost happy way, "Well, guess we gotta put some sorta hiatus on this story for the moment..." she could see that I was looking at her in a puzzled way, "What? Your new organs won't mean much if you don't use them. I know you can't move...or speak...but I'll help. Someone's gotta train the rookies, after all."

She got up out of her chair and walked towards the end of the room. I failed to make her out from the multiple shades of gun-metal grey that the room was mainly comprised of, but I soon saw her return with a wheelchair. She stared at me for a while, seemingly thinking on how she was going to get me in it. She just shrugged and got her grip on remained of my flesh and hauled me gently into the wheelchair, her touch cold and metallic. As she began to wheel me out of the room, I began to feel brutally pitiful. Having to be walked or carried everywhere, not to mention literally spoon-fed every meal until I fully recovered. I felt useless and helpless. I started to cry. At least I could still do that too.

Rebirth seemed to notice and stopped to look at me, asking "What's wrong, Rook?" in a sad way, "The stress and trauma getting to you? Anything you want to...oh right, sorry. Look, it's not all bad, trust me. The first month or two will be hard - they always are when half your body has been replaced by spare parts - but it'll pick up soon enough. Just think of all the things you could do. I'll say it was many times as I have to; we are not evil. We are not savages. We only wish to give those who fell under unfair rule to be given a second chance. Alright? Look at me," she softly tapped my chin and I looked at her with tears still welling up, "Good. I will help you through this, just as much as the others helped me. I'll try to make it all better, I promise."

I began to smile, however faintly, at that remark. I still felt pathetic, but at least not VERY pathetic. Rebirth seemed to smile at it too, even under the mask and ruffled what remained of my fringe.

"Good girl. Welcome to the Funhouse, Rookie. It's all uphill from here, I promise."


	2. Chapter 2: Rebirth

"Here we are, Rook," came Rebirth's voice again, "The Dining Hall. Hopefully they've already set up all the grub."

I looked up out of my daze and saw that we were in front of two large doors with a neon sign above them, one that indeed said "DINING HALL". I smiled. Food seemed like a good idea at this particular moment. After all, I actually hadn't eaten much the day before...or the evening before. I had no idea how much time had passed between my death and what was happening at this moment. Only thing I really remember was that the last thing I ever ate was a ham sandwich. Bit of a strange thing to remember, but still. Rebirth ruffled my fringe again and began wheeling me through the doors.

"The Dining Hall's held so many memories to me, Rook," Rebirth said, a tone of remeberance within her stained voice, "I mean, for years I've seen new recruits cry into their comfort soup of choice. So much so, in fact, that we gave special packs of powder so your tears improved the flavour of the soup."

I flashed her a strange look at that.

"...What? It seemed like a good idea at the time. Anyway, we best get you to the table. I always dine at a particular table, where some of the others 'Old Gens' sit. I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you. If not...well, I'll make them."

I gave her another look, this one saying "Sure, whatever you say," and looked down at my body. Luckily, my torso seemed to survive the event, bar the charred clothing and the tatters of what remained of my old work apron. My jeans were obviously ripped to cut me from the wreckage and were now mere shorts. And below those were two robotic legs, very much my new arms but more...leg-like. Yes. Never had a good way with words. Just like my arms, I could feel that they were there and yet they felt numb. I tried to move them, but alas I could not. I just sighed again and hung my head low as I could see the table come into view. Rebirth slotted my wheelchair into a specific point on the table, engraved repeatedly into it as a strange pattern, before putting her hand to my chin.

"Hey, chin up," she said again, "Those legs may look horrific now, but it'll be worth it, trust me. Anyway, I better get you some food. You seem a little...ravished. How about some chicken soup?"

I smiled again and nodded. I LOVE chicken soup. Always one of my favourite dishes when I was feeling a bit...low. And seeing as I was feeling about as low as one can be without plunging into the Earth's core, some chicken soup sounded like one of the best ideas I've ever heard. Looking back on it, I know I used to wonder where the chicken came from and exactly how eating them was considered okay over, say, eating hedgehogs, but it was something I just never thought about.

"That's what I thought. Hang on then," Rebirth put a spoon and a napkin by my side and walked off to get some of the soup. As I continued to sit there, small sparks of life beginning to flash within my new limbs, I saw others approach the table and take seats. At first, they seemed to be in shadow, with only their harsh outlines to tell them apart. But as time passed and my eyes adjusted to the light level, those outlines became obvious shapes and I could see their true forms in the dim light. They were as mechanical and deranged-looking as Rebirth, almost all of them sporting at least one or two "enhancements". One had a giant robotic arm that engulfed most of his body, one was a lion with a robotic tail, one was...something that was mainly caked in steel and sawblades and one was a large bear in a boiler-like suit. But only one man had no metal on his person and he sat at the end of the table, like a king.

His fur was a bright yellow, with specks of dirt and oil floating around within it. His quills matched the condition of his fur and were wild, spreading in all directions as if they were trying to escape his own head. Very little of his face was visible to the naked eye and the rest was covered by a gigantic Baker-esque scarf, red in colour, that wrapped around his muzzle and most of his chest area, stopping just shy of past his shoulders. What remained was a pair of icy blue pupils, staring in an angry eye through a brass monocle, as well as his nose barely poking out from the cloth. His clothes had a distinct sense of buzzwords like "sophisticated" and "Victorian", consisting of a white shirt and waistcoat that was covered by a brown cloth jacket and adorned with brass buttons and a pair of black trouers ending in dress shoes. He had a sort of 'posh hobo' look to him, resulting in a man that looked utterly bizzare to me. No-one seemed to mind, however, as they all remained in their seats happily having conversations with the man. One of them, the lion, turned his head and began to stare at me.

"She the new girl?" he asked with a slight stammer, a very similar one to the "Private" from before, but not exactly the same.

"Seemingly," came the one with sawblades embedded in her skull. She slowly walked to me and inspected my form, an odd smirk spreading across her face. I guess I was supposed to be scared at the point, but Rebirth's words still flashed in my head. I just arched my head down and kept quiet. The girl in front of me then tapped my arms, which responded with a clanking sound. The girl laughed in a mocking style and then did it again, saying, "New Breed, huh? I've seen more solid metal in landfill sites!"

Some of the others on the table began to smirk in uncomfortable ways, while others simply had looks of disgust or annoyance. I just felt a little disheartened and sad, sinking my head and tearing up a bit, before I heard a voice come to my defence. It was the strange hobo guy, his voice thick with a Latin-American accent far beyond his years.

"Psycho! Return to your eating station! I will not have you mock our new soldier."

"Psycho" bowed her head in shame and quickly returned to her seat, apologizing silently. I looked up at the strange man and smiled in a nice way, being only a few charbroiled vocal chords away from saying "Thanks". The man nonetheless sensed the gratitude and raised his spoon of soup in a toast-like manner. Rebirth returned to her own seat, a bowl of soup in one hand and a ham sandwich in the other, and looked at the man before turning to Psycho and shooting an angry look.

"I heard that," Rebirth snarled, "And I don't want to again," she then turned to me, "Sorry, Rook. Psycho didn't take the title of Old Breed well. Oh, and this...", she

pointed to the man, "Is Dictator Sparky. Don't take his nickname seriously, he's actually a good guy. Sometimes. He's our leader, after all. He set this whole "Reborn" thing up and hired the scientists and doctors that returned me and you from the Underworld."

"Please, I try to be humble," Dictator Sparky spoke up again.

Rebirth let out a simple, "Heh," and set the bowl of chicken soup on the table. She took a spoon to it's surface and quickly glanced at me, to which I nodded and opened my mouth. It was humiliating, having to be literally spoonfed this way, but at least the soup tasted good. Avoiding any embarrassing innuendos, I swallowed the spoonful and looked back over the others at the table while Rebirth spoke up again, "Anyway, yes, this is Rook. She's our newest member. She's a bit...sensitive, her limbs still need time to adjust and her vocal chords need mending, so I don't want any mocking or trolling against her. Got it?"

Most of the others nodded, "Good. So, Sparky, how's the, uh...project been going?"

"Well, my scientists have managed to seal her intestines inside of her," Dictator Sparky began, his voice showing a mere tone of disinterest, "Or rather, what was left of them, any now we're starting to work on the spinal chord. Little bit of conductive metals and we should be able to emulate the nerves to a technical T."

"And the jet wings?" Rebirth raised a half-missing eyebrow.

"They are expensive things, Rose," Dictator Sparky, "Hard to order, take a while to get here. I'm a very busy man, after all. But they are on their way."

"Good. And I've been fine, I've just been talking with Rook about our past. Because, you know...public image."

I frowned, feeling a bit embarrassed. Dictator Sparky looked at me and then back to me, "For the best, I suppose. How far have you got?"

"Just before the warehouse fight," Rebirth said, sighing, "Probably shouldn't talk about it here,"

"Why not?" came the lion's ironically timid voice from across the table, "I mean, we never found out what happened to you. And if we have to endure what's under your mask, than what killed you can't be that bad."

Rebirth seemed a bit hurt at this remark, before shovelling another spoonful of chicken soup into my mouth. It seemed that she was rather sensitive about her face.

She kept calm and sighed, "I guess. Let me eat some of my sandwich and I'll begin...sorry you had to see this, Rook."

I squirmed a little in my chair, uncertain as to what Rebirth meant. I watched her slowly grab her sandwich and fumble around with her mask for a second before it opened with a hiss, hinging open like a door. And, even from my angle, I could see her true face. Her muzzle, or rather what was left of it, was severly mutilated. Her skin looked even worse around her mouth, holding scars and scabs, flesh long burned away to reveal pure and charred bone. Her lips were missing completely, showing only her teeth, which were slightly yellowed and bloodstained. I saw the nightmarish jaws grab hold of the sandwich and rip a part off, chewing it in full show of everyone before it tunnelled down her throat. Just looking at her skull-mouth made me overly nauseous. The others just stared at me in a strange way.

"Don't worry, kid," Psycho spoke up, "You get used to it. It's not like it's the worst thing you'll see here."

I shuddered. If there WAS anything worse than seeing someone with basically ALL the flesh removed from their mouth (and what left being burned to a crisp) trying to eat, I didn't want to see it. Rebirth finished eating the sandwich and closed her mask to cover her Nightmare Mouth back up. She turned back to me and said, "Again, sorry. Guess you've...lost your appetite. So, wanna hear the rest of my beginnings?"

I nodded. It was actually getting interesting, after all. And it helped me forget what I just saw. Rebirth turned to me and raised her hands slightly, slowly beginning to tell the story.

= = = = = = RESUMING FLASHBACK = = = = = =  
(Amy's POV)

So, the first sound I heard on the last day of my life was a ringing noise. Granted that noise was just my alarm clock going off into my ear, but when you spend the first week of your new life being woken in the mornings with being injected with stimulants, you'll start to miss it too. I..no, I don't mean that'll happen to you. It was just something to ensure my heart got used to...you know, not being dead and just stopping in the middle of the night.

Anyway, I had indeed gone back to my apartment after Sonic's "speech" and settled his paperwork for this attack on Eggman - oh sorry, The Egg - from there. After that I had a shower, watched some TV, fantasized about being Sonic's Future Wife and then passed out on my couch. This, as one can guess, had the awful side-effect of my alarm clock being in the next room. I sighed wearily, dragging myself from the sofa and hitting the floor with a mightly slam. From there I shuffled over to my bedroom, occasionally using my arms to hoist myself along, before managing to get to the table and smacking the clock in just the right way to shut it up. I yawned, stretching slowly, before managing to awkwardly get to my feet and stumbling back to the kitchen. Last time I ever saw it really, it kinda saddens me. It was quite a kitchen.

My apartment room was a nice little place, you see. I was still earning...oh, what do the hip kids say, "a packet", but I lived in a small apartment so I could maintain a simple lifestyle. I mean, I once stayed with Blaze in her mansion while the papers for my place were being looked over. And have you ever tried to keep a mansion clean? Or pay it's bills? Thought not. Couldn't be bothered with all that, so I had something small for...restraint. Of course all that went out the window. The kitchen alone was something like the thing you'd see in housing store adverts; zinc kitchen top, marble supports and body, glass doors for the cupboards with gold engravings. Even my fridge was shiny and designer with my initials on it with all sorts of poncy and overpriced milk and caviare-sandwiches. I never actually ate them, I was always too busy, so I just wearily reached in and grabbed a ceramic jug of coffee I had brewed the night before and poured myself a mug. Yes, I like cold coffee. Just in-case I needed to drink it fast so I didn't scald my throat. Not that it...really matters anymore. But more on that later. I'm waffling too much, need to get to the good bits.

Anyway, I began to sip at the cold coffee when my Communications Device began to ring like crazy. I sighed in a frustrated way. Words could not describe how much I loathed it's tone. I was never late or did anything wrong- all on the name of Sonic, of course- so when it went off it was normally Knuckles demanding I get him some grape juice on the way to work. And there was me, all those years ago, thinking buying a room in an apartment the closest to a small supermarket chain was a good idea. I lazily mashed my finger on the machine until the "connect" button was pressed.

"Amy! Where the hell are you?" came Blaze's voice, in a bout of slight anger, "You were supposed to be here earlier!"

"Sorry, Blaze..." I slurred, lightly pawing at my dress, "I crashed a bit last night. But it's only...8 in the morning, right?"

I was guessing here, as Blaze's voice was more annoyed this time, "8AM?! Amy, it's 2!_ In the AFTERNOON_!"

I stopped, blown straight into a panic and stared at the clock. It WAS 2 in the afternoon, 2:34PM to be precise. The initial charge started at 3! I blubbered a hasty half-swear-storm half-apology to Blaze and quickly downed the rest of my coffee before flinging myself headfirst into my wardrobe. All in all, it took me about 20 minutes to get fully dressed and rush all the way to the location. The area was a large dip in the earth, with hills surrounding a large crater in the middle nowhere. In that crater was an enormous warehouse, with wooden supports and sheet metal, featuring rotted and rusted panels slowly falling off. On the ridge that overlooked it were swarms of vehicles all equipped with machine guns and the odd grenade launcher here and there. And there, standing on a wooden platform, was Sonic himself. His outfit was slightly different this time, having ditched his suit jacket and instead wore a shirt with braces and leather pads on his limbs. I wore similar pads, but kept my dress and boots. Neither of us was really expecting arresting Eggman to be a difficult manurer.

Sonic, as ever, was standing on the platform to bask in the attention and the public, who had turned up to see the The Egg's glorious defeat at the hands of the president himself. Sonic was gloating, "People, people! Please! You will see the face of The Egg when I HOIST HIS HEAD ON THE PRESIDENTIAL SPEAR!"

Such a comment caused the masses to once again become whipped into a frezny, cheering and wooping. As soon as Sonic noticed me, he quickly arched over to me and quietly whispered, "Uh, we DO have a presidential spear, right?"

"I'm sure I can get the Minister of War to commission one, Sir," I said, smiling hopefully, "Shadow is a sucker for special weapons. So, when do we strike?"

"Soon. We make last minute preparations and then we strike," Sonic said, sitting down slightly and lightly pawing at my ears, I never noticed at the time, but his voice seemed to be struggling and overly forced in it's nice tone, "Now here's the plan; Blaze and the others will hang back and support us via cameras and comlinks. I will go in and face the monster."

"...And me?" I asked, feeling a bit left out.

"Well..." Sonic said in an endearing way, ruffling my fringe, "You're coming with me. A nice big tag team to end this guy."

My heart suddenly lept to my throat and I couldn't help but hug him tightly, yelling, "Oh THANK YOU, Sonic! I LOVE YOU!"

"It's...okay," Sonic said, his forced tone now very obvious (though I still ignored it), "Now get off me. It's time to end this charade."

Sonic's face began to furrow into one of determination and rage. He turned to his soldiers, then to the warehouse. He thrust his fist to the sky and bellowed out a "CHAAAAAAAAAARRRGE!" before running towards the mansion at full speed. I ran alongside him, my heart pounding as hard as possible before it could burst out of my chest, throwing my arms into the air and belting out a strange sort of rage warble. All around us, the vehicles began pushing forward at full speed while firing their guns at the warehouse. Explosions and bullet casings filled the air in short order and the grass slowly turned to torn dirt and shrapnel beneath my feet. I ignored the feelings of pain and fear from above and below, respectively, and continued to gun it towards the nearest door. The warehouse had, at this point, began to take substantial damage, exposing a few floors and crates. Despite this, the warehouse was of a very large and sturdy construction and was still standing, even with the thousands of rounds and explosions riddling it's form.

"It's not working!" I yelled over the inferno, "It's still standing!"

"That terrorist...he's a sneaky one," Sonic growled, looking up and staring at the building without skipping a beat in his leg movements, "Wait, what's that?"

I looked up too. Even with my bobbing (and overly fuzzy) vision from the running, it was clear that a bright light was emanating from the top of the warehouse with a blue colour. Slowly, but ever so surely, a bright blue forcefield began to form around the warehouse. It only took about five seconds for it to form halfway around the building. I began to panic and my running pace began to subconsciously increase.

"S-Sonic!" I yelped, "A shield!"

"The combat trucks won't get through that, it'll only be us..." Sonic suddenly grabbed my arm, a devilish grin spreading across his face, "I like a challenge. Let's get MOVING!"

The sound of rushing air filled my ear flaps (?) as Sonic also began to pick up his pace. A large cone of light blue wind began to form around us and everything around us became a blur. I forced my head to look forward and the building was now approaching at supersonic speeds. I only had the time to scream out of reflex before we hit the wall and went straight through it. The next thing I remember was rolling across the ground, tumbling head over heel before getting stopped by a wayside support beam to the stomach. I awoke to some forcefully ejected vomit from the impact splattered over the beam and rolled over to see Sonic standing tall, stretching and grinning like a madman as the shield began to fully cover the vehicle. A few loud thumping sounds followed shortly afterwards, quite obviously some of the vehicles hitting the side of the warehouse. I sighed and flopped on my back, wiping the leftover sick from my muzzle.

"Yeah!" Sonic yelled in triumph, punching the air during one of his little skips, "A SHIELD can't hold me, The Egg!"

"Can't we just call him Eggman?" I weakly asked from across the room, "It sounds a bit scarier to the public."

Sonic quickly looked at me like I had just gushed about Twilight, "The EggMAN? MAN, Rose? EggMAN would imply he's human."

"But he sorta IS human," I timidly said, "That's what he is, that's what you oppose. One of your people turned against you."

"Exactly..." came a chilling and nasally voice from near-nowhere. Sonic spun his head around to the sound, high above us, and growled, to which the voice responded with "Oh, Sonic T. Hedgehog. Save your breath and your anger. You'll need to stockpile both so your death by gas chamber is most...eventful."

"Show yourself, you mass killing coward!" Sonic yelled out to the ceiling, fists clenched in rage.

"Wanna see that?" Eggman chortled, "Look into a mirror."

I don't know why, but I suddenly became irrationally angry at that remark and stood straight up, screaming, "DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT ABOUT MY BOYFRIEND, YOU COWARD!" at the top of my lungs.

"...Boyfriend?" came Eggman's voice again, "How cute. Thanks for giving me this opportunity, Mr. President. I get to break the neck of those you love right in front of

you! It's like every Christmas came at once! Hohohohohohohoho!"

Sonic flashed me a look of resentment, then a look of angry joy, "Oh yeah, come down and face us, 'Coward'!"

"I've got a better idea, come UP and face ME. Switch it around for a change, get my drift?"

Sonic flashed another face, this one of accepting such a challenge, and began to run at full speed up the nearby staircase. I began to follow also, starting with a slight hobble before it evolved into a breakneck sprint with wild exaltation as the prospect of impressing Sonic took over all my thoughts once more. Eventually, we reached the top and scrambled onto some nearby shipping crates. The crates one the edge of a giant balcony overlooking the main shipping area of the warehouse, only stopped from falling into the deep abyss below by a few simple guard rails. Above us was some sort of contraption, shrouded by the darkness.

"Well, we're here, Egg!" I yelled in fake bravado, "Now show yourself!"

"Ahhh..." came that hideous, nasally voice once more, "Sonic the President and Amy Rose the Secretary. Your voices and roles are different, but..." he slowly began to decend from his machine, slowly falling in a metallic egg-like contraption, "Your arrogence is unchanged."

I gasped in mild shock at his reveal. Until this point, I had never really seen "The Egg", but it was now that I wished I didn't. He appeared to be bisected, with only half his body stuck in the machine. It appeared to be connected with wires and metallic poles that entered his very flesh. His face was wrinckled and damaged, missing some mildly importent bits like 'cheek skin' and 'his eyes'. Instead there lay but a single blue light lodged into his forehead, featuring a single and unblinking pupil. With this, and his robotic left hand, one could almost assume he was some sort of alien abomination. It was here that I began to doubt myself that "The Egg" was more of a man than a monster.

"Surprised, Rose?" The Egg asked in his standard way, "Well, you can thank your so-called 'boyfriend' for this. One of his finest scientists, I was. I was the one who invented a friction powered charger for large-scale robotics. And then his speed overloaded the system."

"It transformed him into this poor and wretched thing," came the mechanical beast from above him. I looked up to see some unknown creature manning it's controls though the brightly-lit glass. He had clean brown quills and a faded yellow boiler suit covered by a multi-cross harness with some sort of bandanna covering his muzzle and goggles covering the rest. He looked frustrated, as if he was only saying and doing what he was saying and doing out of forced loyalty and cunning for a specific plan. The creature stared at me and then continued his speech, "His pain and suffering, buried under your propaganda and red tape. Forgotten, broken and alone. And for what?"

"Ooooh..." Sonic mused, entering a cocky and mocking stance, "Perhaps my chilli dog expenditure sorta cancelled out your pension?"

"...That's not really a joke," I said half-heatedly, "We spent about 53% more of our budget on hotdogs and buns over disabled pensions last year."

"...Oh," Sonic said quietly, obviously feeling a bit daft.

"Exactly!" The Egg yelled out, "And I'm not the only one to suffer, lying around in hidden and broken down parts of your cities, while you and your 'friends' live in obscene luxury! Well, until they accidentally do something you don't like. THEN, they're kicked onto the streets like us. Forgotten about. Pushed aside for-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Sonic yelled back, faking a yawn, "You have NO idea how many times I've heard that at cabinet meetings," he then entered a mocking tone of voice, "'Ooh, Mister President Sonic, sir, more than a quarter of your country is in the gutter and desperately need you!'", before returning to his previous angry tone, "SCREW THAT! Perhaps if you didn't want to be like...what you are, perhaps you should've tried to avoid those accidents just a LITTLE bit more. Your mistakes can't cut into MY funding."

I felt no different from hearing that. I had heard him say it so many times in the past, if only in private. The Egg, meanwhile, looked disgusted, growling, "As anticipated. If you refuse to take your actions seriously, then maybe another must take the helm. It's why I do what I do. And now, I shall end your life and take my rightful place as leader of this corrupted world!"

The Egg's machine slowly rose up into the machine again, closing the hatch and appearing at the controls along with the creature from before. The machine slowly descended until it was around our level, which cast aside it's shadow and revealed a giant, hulking robotic dragon with wings made of green energy and claws of pure steel. Multiple wires snaked around it's body, connecting to about every last panel and giving off a strange green glow. The cockpit included a large glass viewing panel, from which both The Egg and his assistant could be seen pawing at the controls, and continued upwards to the "head" of the mechanical beast, modeled in the style of a dragon. It reared it's wings and screeched in a suitably and ironically tinny fashion.

"Behold, the Egg Dragoon Prototype!" the creature bellowed, "Our greatest creation! And your DOOM!"

I...have to be honest here, Rook, I don't remember the fight all that well. I only truly remember certain parts, like all the times that the robot fired lasers and rockets at us, peppering the small arena with explosions and bolts of energy. I remember that one came close to my head, only briskly grazing my cheek, and one that managed to hit Sonic square in the leg. He certainly screamed and fell to the floor, but even then he quickly got up again and resumed Homing Attacking all the glowing weak spots. It was stuff like that that made me forget about how badly he was running the country and just sent me to those dreams of love and hope. And let me tell you, love and hope is one hell of a painkiller. It certainly helped me fight that battle, as I began to shrug off the attacks with slowly increasing impunity and rushed headlong at the cockpit. All I remember then was lying on the floor, MAYBE with a broken leg I can't remember, while the Dragoon slowly fell the cold and unforgiving floor below whilst dancing about it's own flames. Nearby were The Egg and his assistant, who was vaguly hanging onto the flying machine and looked like he was in severe discomfort.

"Well, I must admit..." The Egg said weakly, blood trickling down his face, "I expected a strong fight from our so-called 'beloved' Presdient, and I certainly got one. You put up some beating, I'll give you that."

"Enough!" Sonic yelled triumphantly, "It's time for your death!"

The Egg did not seem scared or fearful. He instead grinned manically and slowly giggled to himself before it ascended into full on evil laughter, "Oh, Sonic, you have been so naive. You haven't beaten me, you haven't defeated JUST another terrorist. You've walked into my little trap."

"Trap?" I asked in fear. The sound of crackling wood and flames suddenly caught my ears and my eyes darted to the corners of the warehouse. Flames were slowly creeping up the beams and spreading literally everywhere...I...sorry, Rook. I, uh, lost the plot there. It's just getting close to...that. Anyway, the flames continued to spread around and soon the place was a near inferno. The ground began to creak beneath our feet and it looked REALLY close to breaking. The Egg continued to laugh among the inferno's noise.

"It's all been a trap!" The assistant shouted over the loudness, "This warehouse was never even ours! It belongs to the type of privileged _idiota_ that you support. This place is being torched for insurance money. Our fight was a mere distraction; you will never get out now!"

"Exactly!" The Egg laughed one final time, "You will DIE here, Sonic, and there's nothing you can do about it! Helper, I think it's time we made our escape!"

"...Not exactly," 'Helper' responded. He suddenly jumped up on the top of the flying machine and grabbed a hookshot gun from his harness. He fired it upwards at the roof of the building, which the flames had yet to reach. He flashed a grin to The Egg.

"H-Hey!" The Egg cried out, "What're you doing?!"

"Sorry, Egg," 'Helper' called out, "But your time on this earth is at the end. I enjoy to work alone."

'Helper's boots suddenly glowed purple and he stomped on the flying machine. The machine suddenly went flat and dropped like a stone. The Egg screamed as he and his machine slowly fell into the inferno, out of sight and straight to his doom. 'Helper' watched his demise, then flashed a look at both of us and saluted and pulled back on the wire from his hookshot. He very quickly shot up into air and towards the roof, slowly vanishing from sight, leaving us the the literal fire.

"What do we do?" I asked quietly, before snapping at Sonic and screaming, "WHAT DO WE DO?!" in a blind panic.

"I...I dunno!" Sonic called out weakly, "I didn't think this would happen. Just...just let me think."

I began to panic even more at that. We were in a mostly-wooden warehouse, now totally ablaze with footing ever weakening below us, and THIS was the time to slow down and think? I tried to make a run for the nearest opening in the walls, but beneath my feet was the unmistakable crackling of weakened wood and a sense of dread slowly came over my gut. It then rushed straight to my head as the floor finally gave way and I began falling. I reached out towards a nearby beam to hold on for dear life and screamed.

"Sonic!" I called out, "Help me! HELP ME!"

Sonic quickly noted my cry and leaped forward. The beam had now caught fire and it began to spread to my hand. It slowly began to engulf it and I screamed in pain. I yanked my hand away in reflex, it's skin now slightly charred and blistered, before Sonic managed to grab my arm and stop me from falling. My hand was now in sheer pain and parts of my clothing were starting to seer. It would not be long before they too caught aflame. And then...everything became a blur after that. When my vision was clear again, I was falling. I..I w-was screaming and f-falling. I hit parts of inflamed wood on the way down before I reached the bottom and landed backfirst into the flames. My skin, it...my...my skin began to charr and blacken in the flames, skin...skin just peeling off my fingers like paper! As my roasted vocal chords screamed in pure agony, I saw yet another load of timber coming down. My eyes...my eyes began to boil and bleed as the timber finally came apon me. I could feel my chest caving in and my lungs pushed out into the flames, my bones snapping like twigs from a tree. And, there, to the sound of my melting flesh and garbled screams, I...I...I...

======= PAUSE FLASHBACK =======  
(Rook's POV)

Rebirth stopped at this point and started to sob, staring at her mangled hands before clasping them over her receptors. Over her retelling, I had noticed that her tone of voice had shifted, slowly but surely, from jovial happiness to haunted hollowness. Even her hand motions changed from jovial to being stuck by her side, shivering during the overly traumatic parts of the story. A few of the others had quietly asked for her to stop when they began to notice the changes, but Rebirth seemed to ignore them, far too wrapped up in her story. Maybe she just couldn't stop herself, maybe she was trying to come to terms with her death, which is fair enough. But it was completely obvious that, whatever compelled her to keep going, it managed to "win". As Rebirth suddenly let out a wail of sadness and hugged herself, clutching at her sides and arching over to the point of nearly curling into a ball. I felt compelled to give her a hug but, yet again, I couldn't move. All of the others were nervously and awkwardly eyeing one another, in such a way that I couldn't tell if they were embarrassed or sympathetic, while Dictator Sparky simply sat at his place at the table. He shook his head, eyes closed, even through his scarf flashing a frown. My mind flashed back to the terrorists; mainly the brown-quilled creature. It would be fairly obvious to assume that The Egg, whoever he REALLY was, would've died in the fire just like Amy, but what about the creature? Where did HE go? Dictator Sparky suddenly spoke up, saying just the words to answer that question.

"I'm sorry..." he sighed mournfully, "I'm so sorry. If I knew it was THAT bad..._I would have tried to save you all those years ago._"

**Hoo blimey, this shouldn't have taken so long to write and I kinda lost it near the end. I'll try to pull myself together for the next one, I promise.**


End file.
